Empathy
by Flashes09
Summary: Warren is content to finish his last year of high school, then escape to college. But will the arrival of an empath force him to come to terms with his feelings for Layla? Warren/Layla
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Empathy

**Title:** Empathy

**Author:** Flashes09

**Rating:** T (For strong language)

**Disclaimer:** "Sky High" is owned by Disney, not me. Don't sue me, 'cause it ain't worth it.

**Summary:** Warren is content to finish his last year of high school, then escape to college. But will the arrival of an empath force him to come to terms with his feelings for Layla? Warren/Layla

**A/N:** I have an OC as my main character, but **DON'T WORRY**; she's not ending up with anybody. She's what I like to call an enabler. A character I made up that will do whatever I want without me having to worry about writing someone out of character. Yeah, okay, she's a bit of a Mary-Sue, and yeah, I know, it's a cop-out, but it works. Anyway, enjoy the story, and please leave feedback!

**A/N 2:** I've working on this for a while, and I still don't think it's perfect, but hey, I try.

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**Chapter 1**

_Sky High School for Gifted Children_

Elizabeth was herded into the gym along with the rest of the new kids. After a heart-stopping bus ride, followed by a rather rough landing from Ron Wilson- Bus Driver, Elizabeth wasn't really in the mood for some bullshit orientation. The speaker would talk about how they were at Sky High to "Be the Best That You Can Be!", and to make the "right decisions", and blah, blah, blah. She'd heard it all before at her own freshman orientation. _Before I got these damn powers_, she thought to herself.

Life had been pretty simple for Elizabeth. She had lived most of her life in a two-story house with both of her parents, content to go to normal high school. But then, she started to realize she could tell people's feelings, without them giving any sign.

It had all started when a girl at her old school had been killed by a jealous boyfriend. He'd drowned her in her parent's hot tub, and then hid her body. The news had shocked everyone at school, and every student was pulled into a psychiatrist's office. Elizabeth hadn't known the girl, nor had she ever met her, but for the whole week, she felt incredibly deeply depressed and kept getting massive headaches. So, when it was her turn to hop onto the shrink's couch, she spilled everything about how she had been feeling.

The good doctor then informed Elizabeth that she was an empath, just like the psychiatrist, and that she was able to read other people's emotions, and even eventually influence said emotions, as well as telling Elizabeth that the headaches were an unfortunate side effect. And then she had called Elizabeth's parents into to give them the news.

To their credit, her parents had taken the news well, considering that Elizabeth was their only child. _Too well, unfortunately, _Elizabeth thought, _they shipped me off to freak school the second that doctor suggested it._

Now here she stood, a senior just waiting to get out of high school, and she had to spend the last year away from all of her friends, at a school she didn't want to be at in the first place. And she was being flooded by nervous feelings from the freshman. Of course, some of those feelings could be her own.

"Hi, I'm Abby. What's your name?" Elizabeth was startled out of her thoughts by the girl standing next to her. She was tall, with blond hair so light, it looked almost white. And she was wearing the brightest yellow shirt that Elizabeth had ever seen. Ever. _Great_, she thought, _just great. Now I've got some kid following me._

"Elizabeth." She answered shortly, but softly. She figured it was best not piss anyone off until she knew what their powers were. She didn't want to make this girl mad, only to have the girl turn laser-beam eyes on her or something like that. But she did want the girl to go away.

"What's your power?" Abby asked. She obviously hadn't caught on to the fact that Elizabeth didn't want her around. _I prefer to be left alone with my bitterness, _she thought to herself_, that, and every time someone gets close, I get a heaping helping of their emotions._

"I'm an empath." Elizabeth answered, looking around the gym. There was a scoreboard at one end with the title "Save the Citizen" at the top. Next to, a sign that had been put up. It was covered in tally marks, and the number 436 was at the bottom. Its title was "Stronghold/Peace Win Tally". Elizabeth wondered who or what Stronghold/Peace was.

She blinked when she realized Abby had been talking the entire time about her brother who was apparently a junior here. _Oops, better pay some attention. God, this kid has way too much nervous energy._

"He's really tall and he's so cool. His girlfriend is cool, too. I'm going to try and find him at lunch."

"I'm sorry, what was your power again?" _Hopefully something that can't kill me._ But before Abby had time to respond, a bright white ball of light shot across the gym and landed at the podium, reshaping into a woman. _Oh, here we go_, Elizabeth thought. And she was right. The woman was Principal Powers and she said they were here to learn how to use their powers wisely and so on.

"So, with that, I will leave you to Power Placement. Comets Away!" She turned into a ball of light again and shot off. Elizabeth frowned.

"What's Power Placement?" she asked Abby.

"It's where you learn if you're on the Hero track, or the Side-kick track, the loser track."

Elizabeth was about to answer with a sarcastic remark about the loser track when a man appeared on the platform behind them.

"I'm Coach Boomer; some of you may know me a Sonic Boom, some of you may not. Here's how power placement works, you come up on the platform and show me your power, then I determine if you are a Hero, or Hero-support. And yes, you will be doing this in front of the entire class." All of the nervous emotions in the room rose even more, and it was putting Elizabeth's teeth on edge. If she didn't get away from all of these emotions soon, she would certainly end up with a blinding headache.

He scanned the crowd and selected a short kid with red hair. _Poor kid, now Coach Boomer's going to humiliate him in front of everybody._

"You, what's your name, kid?"

"Dave," he answered. Elizabeth could feel the nervousness rolling off him in waves.

"Well, what can you do?" Dave gulped then jumped up into the air. Twenty feet into the air, almost touching the gym ceiling in the process.

Boomer looked somewhat impressed.

"Hero." He said simply and moved on to the next kid.

About halfway through the freshmen, Boomer chose Abby.

"You, kid in the yellow shirt, what's your name?"

"Abby." She said as she took her place.

"Alright, power-up." _Now I'll get to learn what her power is_, Elizabeth thought. Abby put her head down and closed her eyes, then opened them again.

Boomer looked at her for a second before going, "Well?"

Abby looked insulted, and Elizabeth could feel it coming off her.

"I'm doin' it."

"Doing what, exactly?" Boomer asked.

"Glowing" Boomer rolled his eyes and yelled, "Sidekick!"

Abby walked off the platform sulking and stayed that way until Boomer dismissed them for lunch.

On their way out, Boomer pointed to Elizabeth.

"We're starting with you after lunch." Elizabeth sighed, and exited the gym. This was turning out to be quite a day.

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So there it is, the first chapter. Tell me what you think. Love it, hate it, or whatever.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Empathy

Author: Flashes09

Rating: T (For strong language)

Disclaimer: "Sky High" is owned by Disney, not me. Don't sue me, 'cause it ain't worth it.

**Chapter 2**

The cafeteria was packed full of kids eating lunch. An announcement came over the PA system: _"__The cafeteria staff requests sidekicks stop ordering hero sandwiches.__"_ Elizabeth snickered, but got in line behind Abby, then followed her out to the cafeteria. She was glad to be out of the intense emotional atmosphere the nervous freshmen had created in the gym and instead in the cafeteria, which had a good-natured, easy-going feel to it.

"Look, there's my bother!" Abby yelled and she took off in that direction, leaving Elizabeth followed in a slower fashion. The table she came to was filled with a motley bunch. A kid with hair the same color as Abby's, obviously her brother, was sitting next to a girl wearing a lot of purple. On her other side sat a geeky looking kid in glasses. Across the table from Abby's brother sat a guy with brown hair and wearing so much red, white, and blue, Elizabeth wondered how many American flags he had used to make his wardrobe. But notheless, he was kind of cute. Next to him was a red headed girl in green. At the end of the table sat a guy with black hair and red streaks, wearing a leather jacket.

Abby had noticed her arrival and was introducing her.

"This is my brother, Zach, and that's his girlfriend Magenta. She's a shape shifter. Next to her is Ethan, he melts, this is Will, he's super-strong and he can fly, his girlfriend Layla, she's got control of plants, and that's Warren, he throws fire." She turned to the table. "Everybody, this is Elizabeth, she's an-" But Abby was cut off.

"An empath." A deep voice down the table said. Everyone looked at Warren, who just shrugged. "My aunt's an empath; you can see them coming from a mile away, if you know what to look for." Everyone seemed to accept this answer, and they turned to look at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was slightly insulted that she could be seen "from a mile away". She figured only Abby and her brother could be like that. But she took it in stride and turned her attention to the table. The kid in red, white, and blue, Will, scooted over make room for her. As she sat down, he asked her a question.

"How do you like Sky High so far?" Elizabeth thought carefully before she answered. The guy was super-strong, so a wrong answer could get her sent through the wall. But he was giving off happy waves; they all were, so she figured it was okay.

"It's…interesting. Different." _Freaky._

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to. But you don't look like a freshman. Are you?" Layla inquired.

"No, I got my powers late. I'm actually a senior." She answered.

"Hey, Warren's a senior, too." Ethan, the kid in glasses, said. Warren shot him a glare across the table. Normal people would melt under the glare, and apparently, Ethan wasn't an exception. He fell into a puddle on the floor.

Elizabeth attempted to focus her powers on Warren and tried to get a read on his emotions. He was good at hiding them, but she sensed that beneath the fake anger and the devil-may-care attitude, even he was glad to be back. There was something else, too, but Elizabeth couldn't quite but her finger on it.

Elizabeth went through each of the other members of the table, sensing the emotions. They were pretty much the same, the annoyance, probably from having to go back to school, but also the acceptance, probably from the idea that school didn't suck too bad. She was glad she was sitting at such a mellow table. Her headache had subsided somewhat. Across the cafeteria, Elizabeth could see most of the other freshmen sitting and nervously eating their lunches. Poor things, Elizabeth decided to try to be nice to the freshmen.

As she focused back on the table, Elizabeth found that Abby was telling about the how the Power Placement had gone and about how she had been named a sidekick. The table empathized with her; they all went on to tell about their Placements. Zach's had been the same as Abby's. Magenta and Ethan had shown their powers, but had failed to impress Boomer. Layla had refused to participate and was rewarded by being named a sidekick. But Will's story was the most interesting.

"I thought you had to have powers to go to Sky High." Elizabeth said.

"Not when your parents are two of the greatest heroes on the planet." Zach answered for him. Will smiled and shook his head.

"I acted like I had powers to make my parents happy. And then I ended up at Sky High." He said.

"Yeah, you had to fight Warren just to get them to come out." Magenta stated. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. She shot a look at Warren, but was surprise to find him looking at Layla. But then she thought she must have been imagining it. Maybe he was looking at Will, and Layla was just in the way. Maybe.

"It's a long story." Will said, but that didn't stop Zach from telling it.

Elizabeth listened intently to the story, hearing about how Will and Warren were archenemies because of their fathers, and how they destroyed half of the cafeteria fighting each other. Will rolled his eyes at couple of parts where Zach exaggerated, but for the most part, the story seemed true.

The conversation turned back to school, and Elizabeth took the chance to focus once again on her powers. The table was at ease, talking, laughing, and just having a good time. But the unnamed emotion in Warren Peace was bugging her. She had to know what it was. _Even if it kills me. _Twice more Elizabeth thought she caught Warren looking at Layla, but neither time could she be sure.

The bell rang, and kids got up and dumped their trays, returning to their classes, or, for the freshmen and Elizabeth, Power Placement.

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Review! Next update next Monday!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Empathy

**Author:** Flashes09

**Rating:** T (For strong language)

**Disclaimer:** "Sky High" is owned by Disney, not me. Don't sue me, 'cause it ain't worth it.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The cafeteria emptied out, and the freshmen and Elizabeth trudged back to the gym, dreading what was to come.

Now that it was her turn, Elizabeth was starting to get nervous. All of the other kid's powers were plainly visible. _How, precisely, am I supposed to show him I'm an empath?_

"What's you name, and what's your power?" Boomer asked. She could sense his emotions easily, since they weren't anywhere near similar to the nervous freshmen's emotions. Boredom, mainly, with a little surprise now and then at a student's powers.

"Elizabeth, I'm an empath." Boomer looked at her.

"A what?" He asked, perplexed.

"An empath, I can sense other people's feelings." Elizabeth explained.

"That's it?" He asked. Elizabeth shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much." Boomer frowned.

"How am I feeling right now?" He asked. Elizabeth raised her eyebrow.

"Bored?" She said, hoping that this was the right answer. Boomer was more annoyed than impressed.

"Sidekick!" He yelled.

She got off the platform and made her way back to Abby who started complaining immediately.

"That's so not cool, you have a totally awesome power, you should be in the Hero track."

"Nah, it's cool. I'll live."_ Just as long as I can get out of this school in one piece._

Power Placement ended soon after, and the kids were given their schedules. Elizabeth was surprised at the classes themselves. Among them were "Hero-support English", "Hero-support Math", "Hero-support Tactics", and "Hero-support Pairing". In fact, the only thing without the words "Hero-support" was P.E. _Oh, great, and here I thought I had gotten away from P.E. Damn._

Abby's schedule was much the same, only for freshman. That's when the reality sunk in. Elizabeth was going to be in a class where she knew absolutely no one. _Except maybe that Warren guy._ She was puzzling over the mystery of his unknown emotion yet again when some kid came over with a pass for her.

"It's for the principal's office. She wants to see you immediately." Elizabeth sighed. _I've only been here for one day, how much trouble can I be in?_ She thought to herself. She got up, grabbed her bag, and headed off to the principal's office.

She was proud to say that she only had to stop and ask for directions twice, once from a student, once from a teacher. Finally, she reached a white door with the words "Principal Powers" on the glass. She tapped on the glass and waited until she heard "Come in".

Principal Powers was seated behind her desk, talking on the phone. She motioned for Elizabeth to have a seat.

"Yes, Steve, I'll have him sent for…I'm aware it's a matter of national security…yes, I'll send him right home…Good, say hello to Josie for me." She set the phone back on its cradle and turned to talk into a microphone on her desk.

"Susan, will you please have Mr. Medulla send Mr. Stronghold down to the office immediately." That done, she faced Elizabeth and began to talk.

"Ah, Ms. Winters, good to see you. How has your first day been?"

"Good, interesting, but good."

"Yes, Sky High can take some getting used to." Will had used those same words earlier at lunch. Elizabeth wasn't surprised though. Sky High _was_ going to take some getting used to.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth, soon it will seem as normal as your old high school." Elizabeth heard the sound of wood breaking and turned around quickly to see Will holding Principal Powers' door a foot off the ground.

"Maybe not so normal." She amended with a smile.

"Sorry, Principal Powers, but you said it was important?" Will asked, setting down the broken door.

"Yes, your father called, they need you to come home immediately, apparently, there is a giant robot attacking the city." She wrote out something on a piece of paper, and then handed it to him. "Don't worry about your school work; I'll have it sent along to you by Layla."

"Thanks, and sorry about the door…again." He turned and saw Elizabeth sitting in the chair. He smiled.

Principal Powers leaned over to the microphone again. "Susan, can you have the janitor come up to my office."

"First day of school and you've already landed in the Principal's office. You're going to give Warren a run for his money." Will teased. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes as he ran out the door.

"He's grown up a lot since his first day at Sky High… anyway," She reached into a drawer at the side of her desk and pulled out a file with Elizabeth's name at the top. "You are quite the unusual case. Normally, students begin their journeys at Sky High as freshmen. But you are one of the few people who started out as an upperclassman." She had opened the file and was glancing over the transcripts.

"Your school work is impeccable, and I didn't think twice about accepting you to the school." She stopped looking at the file and instead turned her eyes on Elizabeth. "Empaths are very unique, you have far more power than you realize." _Yeah, more power, bigger headache._

"The doctor I met said that my powers could grow." Principal Powers smiled, but shook her head.

"That's not what I'm talking about. You can sense emotions, whether someone hides them or not. People's emotions can tell you a lot about them. And if you use that knowledge for evil, instead of good, you can do a lot of damage." Elizabeth grasped what she was saying. _Basically, it doesn't matter if you can fly or throw fireballs or make the grass grow, if you mess with people's emotions, things can get ugly._

"I'm just warning you to be careful. Think before you act. Emotions going wrong in this school can mean something more serious than fistfights."

There was a knock on the doorframe and Elizabeth looked up to see who it was, only to find Warren looking down at her. Immediately, she focused her power on him and found that the hidden emotion was still there, placed on a backburner at the moment. _This is really pissing me off. What the hell is that emotion?_

"Mr. Peace, glad you could join us. Please have a seat." Warren sat down in the chair as if he had done it a million times before. Elizabeth thought back to Will's words, and concluded that he probably had sat in the chair a million times.

"I was just telling Ms. Winters here about how she was one of the few to start her career at Sky High as a senior. Now as you know, all sidekicks are placed with heroes and have a class where they learn how to work together." _Ah_, Elizabeth thought, _solves the mystery of "Hero-Support Pairing" class._

"Normally, the staff at the school has had four years to piece together the partners, but in your case, Ms. Winters, you have only been here for a day. Luckily, we have Mr. Peace." She turned to look at Warren, who sunk slightly lower in his chair.

"Mr. Peace has a tendency to scare off, or injure, his sidekicks, so he has not been paired with one…yet." She smiled as we both suddenly caught her meaning.

"Principal Powers, I told you I don't need a sidekick!" Warren said.

"I don't think I would be any good fighting evil, I'm only an empath!" Elizabeth said.

Principal Powers waited calmly as they finished before going on.

"Amazingly enough, I think this could work out. As an empath, you have the power to influence the emotions of the people around you. Maybe you can calm Mr. Peace's rash tendencies." Both Elizabeth and Warren sat back in their chairs and crossed their arms. But neither raised an objection, mainly because both knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Well, I'm glad we've settled that. Now, you two get going, I don't want you to miss your buses." She busied herself with tidying her desk as Elizabeth and Warren both sat there for a second before Warren finally got up. Elizabeth followed suit and they left Principal Powers' office.

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Review!

P.S. I know it sounds like I'm setting them up together, but I swear I'm not!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Empathy

Author: Flashes09

Rating: T (For strong language)

Disclaimer: "Sky High" is owned by Disney, not me. Don't sue me, 'cause it ain't worth it.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Elizabeth had meant to catch up to Warren and have a talk with him, but by the time she had gotten past Principal Powers' door, Warren was walking away down the hall as all levels of students got out of his way. Deciding she had had enough of this school, Elizabeth quickly went to her locker and then out to the buses.

As she was standing outside, waiting for Ron Wilson: Bus Driver, she noticed a familiar face.

"Layla!" Elizabeth walked over to the redhead.

"Hey, Elizabeth, how's your day been?"

"Well…interesting."

"Really? How so?" Elizabeth proceeded to tell Layla everything about her day, including how she was made a sidekick. This launched Layla into a tirade about the hero-sidekick dichotomy being a "flawed system" and so on. It took Elizabeth ten minutes to calm her down so that she could tell her about Warren.

"Whoa, Warren's your superhero?" Layla asked.

"Basically, and the thing is, I can't do anything about it. I mean, I don't want to go out and save the world. I'm just not like that. I just hope I can get along with Warren though, he strikes me as a 'rebel without a cause' type of guy." The two were getting on the bus at that time and strapping themselves in.

"Nah, Warren's cool. He hides it well beneath the tough-guy exterior, but he's okay. He took me to Homecoming last year."

"What?! I thought you were dating Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Layla laughed.

"I am now, but at the time he was with Gwen."

"Wait, who's Gwen? Why don't you start from the beginning, it'll be easier to understand." It took Layla the entire bus ride to get through her and Will's first day at Sky High.

"I wish I had more time to tell you the story." Layla said as the bus pulled up in front of Elizabeth's house. "I know, meet me tonight at the Paper Lantern at eight o'clock."

"Alright, sounds great." Elizabeth got up and made her way down the aisle, stepping off the bus and into the sunshine. She let herself into the house and saw her mother in the kitchen.

"How was your first day?" She asked. Elizabeth gave a little laugh; she didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

At eight o'clock, Elizabeth stood outside of the Paper Lantern; a small Chinese restaurant had a homey feel to it. Alluring smells of delicious Chinese food were inviting her inside.

Layla was sitting at a booth along the windows and was talking animatedly to whoever was across from her. Elizabeth didn't recognize the person. It was a young man, broad-shouldered with hair long enough to be pulled back. As Elizabeth drew closer, she saw the tell-tale red streak in his hair and realized Layla was talking to Warren Peace.

Of course, Elizabeth's curiosity got the best of her and she cast out her powers, hoping to get a read on Warren. Relaxed and confident, Warren Peace was at ease for the first time Elizabeth had seen. However, that unnamed emotion was running strong through him now, stronger than before. _Maybe Layla's triggering it?_ Elizabeth asked herself.

A woman in the kitchen yelled out at Warren in what Elizabeth could only assume was Chinese. Warren answered, presumably in the same language, and got out of the booth. Now Elizabeth could see he was dressed to work.

"See you around, Hippie." He said in that low voice of his and made for the kitchen. Unfortunately, to get their, he had to pass where Elizabeth was standing. When his dark eyes found hers, they were filled with question, but all he said was "Hey," before moving on.

Layla saw her and waved her over. "How's it going?" She asked brightly.

"Since when do you hang with Warren Peace?" Elizabeth asked.

Layla smiled. "I guess I need to tell you the rest of the story." She recounted those early days of Sky High to Elizabeth, including the time Will stood her up.

"So, I'd been here a long time and Warren comes around asking if I was done. It took him a second to realize that I went to Sky High, and that I was Will's friend, but he was totally cool with it. Then, he offers to heat up my meal and I told him we weren't supposed to use our powers outside of school.

"Actually, it was pretty funny because he leaned in and went 'I was just gonna stick it in the microwave.' After that, I asked him to sit down and told him basically the entire story of my and Will's friendship." Layla stopped and took a drink of water. "After that, he pegged me for having a crush on Will. From there, he offered some advice," at this point, a small smile crept onto Layla's face. "Then he told me to tell Will."

"So then you two started dating?" Elizabeth asked, her food stopped midway to her mouth.

"Well, no…" Layla started into the story of Homecoming two years ago. While she was recounting the events, Warren came and took their plates, returning with fortune cookies for both of them.

"After Sky High was saved, Will took me outside and we danced on the clouds, it was awesome." She stopped and sighed. "Then his parents started taking him on their, missions and I don't get to see him as much." Layla broke open her fortune cook and smiled.

"What's yours say?" Elizabeth asked. She had gotten a stupid one that something about smiles and sunshine on a cloudy day.

"You remember how I told you Warren gave me advice? Well, he said 'To let true love remain unspoken is the quickest path to a heavy heart' and I told him that was deep. Then he tells me my lucky numbers, hands me the fortune cookie paper, and walks away." She said, with that small smile still on her face. Elizabeth concentrated and realized Layla was waiting to reveal something big.

"So, did you get the same fortune?" Elizabeth ventured. She had no idea where this was going.

"Here's the thing. When I got home, I looked at the paper and it said something _totally _different. Warren really _did_ think it up." Layla's eyes glowed as she finished with the big reveal. Elizabeth turned her head slightly and caught Warren watching Layla.

And with that, the picture became just a little bit clearer.

* * *

Elizabeth and Layla were the only two customers left in the restaurant. Finally, the owners sent Warren to kick them out and the boy did so gladly. However, since it was late, he did offer to walk them home.

_I guess chivalry isn't dead after all_, Elizabeth thought. Although she had the idea that maybe it had more to do Warren's protectiveness of Layla than of his chivalry.

She and Layla lived on the same road and her house came up first. She waved to Warren and Layla and went into her house. But the second Warren and Layla had moved on, she stole back outside and followed the couple.

Layla had linked her arm with Warren's and was talking animatedly into his ear, and though the pyrokinetic looked bored, Elizabeth could sense that he didn't mind.

_I wonder just how many times they have done this,_ Elizabeth thought. The two came to a stop at Layla's doorstep, causing Elizabeth to duck behind a bush. As she watched, Warren and Layla continued to talk. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how Warren watched Layla, his dark eyes shining as he looked at her.

Down by her feet, Elizabeth saw a bed of flowers burst into full bloom. She quickly looked back at the couple to see Layla on her tiptoes giving Warren a kiss on the cheek. There was a small smile on his face as he looked down at her. The unknown emotion raged in him.

Layla went inside her house with a wave to Warren, and he walked off the porch, down the street, and out of Elizabeth's view.

She looked at Layla's front door, at the corner Warren had disappeared down, and at the flowers in full bloom at her feet, and she knew what she had to do.

* * *

Sorry it took so long, but to make it up to you guys, I'm going to post both this chapter and the next.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Empathy

Author: Flashes09

Rating: T (For strong language)

Disclaimer: "Sky High" is owned by Disney, not me. Don't sue me, 'cause it ain't worth it.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Elizabeth tried for three days to corner Warren, but he was one slippery guy. During school, the only times she was with him were during lunch and "Hero-Support Pairing" class. She couldn't come out with her revelation during lunch, and there was never time during class.

While she was trying to get a hold of Warren alone, she continued to watch Warren and Layla interact. It was fascinating. Warren never engaged in full conversation, choosing to answer with biting, sarcastic comments. But never to Layla. She always received truthful answers. Whenever Layla left, Warren's dark eyes watched her as she crossed the room, perhaps to dump her tray, always checking to see if she was safe, despite the complete lack of bullies at Sky High.

Elizabeth also knew that Layla ate at the Paper Lantern _a lot_. Will was always off saving the world, and the others always seemed to have something to do, so Layla went to the Lantern and visited with Warren.

Elizabeth also knew that Warren enjoyed Layla's visits. He always seemed a little brighter when she was around. Elizabeth knew this, because whenever they were together, she carefully watched.

On the third day of her trying to get to Warren, Elizabeth was invited to the Paper Lantern with Layla again. Only this time, the rest of the gang was invited along was well. Elizabeth accepted, and the group met at eight as planned. Only they were one member short. Once again, Will had been called off to go save the world.

As they sat in their booth, Elizabeth noticed that Layla seemed a little downcast. She figured it was because Will was gone. But the redhead brightened a little when Warren showed up, offered a hello and a sarcastic comment, then left. Elizabeth saw her chance.

"Hey, guys, I've got to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." She left, and as soon as she was out of sight, she ducked into the kitchen.

Warren was there handing his order to the cook. He turned and noticed her.

"What are you doing?" He asked gruffly.

"Oh, I'm looking for the fortune cookies. Layla told me about this fortune, what was it…something about unspoken true love and a heavy heart." Elizabeth said.

"Fortune cookies are over there." He said, but his voice was guarded, and when Elizabeth tried her powers, his emotions were guarded too.

"Thanks, but that's not really why I'm back here. Tell me Warren, how's your heavy heart?" Warren whipped his head around and glared at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, for God's sake, Warren, I'm an empath. Hell, I don't even need to be an empath; it's as plain as the nose on your face. You love Layla; anybody with two eyes can see it." Warren shook his head.

"She's Stronghold's girl." He said.

"Bullshit. You think she loves Stronghold, I'll answer for you, no, she doesn't. She's got a little hero-worshipping going on, that's all. She's in love with the idea of him. But no girl wants to be left every night while her boyfriend goes off and saves the world." Elizabeth took a breath and continued. "You are always there for her Warren. Always. Tell her. You'll find she reciprocates the feeling." Without waiting for a reply, Elizabeth skipped out of the kitchen and back to the table.

* * *

Warren brought the food, then left. He came back and took the plates away, once again leaving fortune cookies. He didn't say much, although every time she caught his eye, Elizabeth gave him a meaningful look.

Finally, the gang decided to leave. Zach, Magenta, and Ethan walked with them for a little bit, then turned down their street. Elizabeth, Layla, and Warren kept on, stopping again at Elizabeth's house. She bid the two goodnight, and went into her house. However, she pulled the same stunt as a few nights ago, and snuck back out to watch the pair.

Warren had walked her to her door, and stood staring down at her, saying something low and fast. Layla was listening intently, and soon she nodded, and said something back. They stared at each other for a second, then Warren leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn't a little peck on the cheek. It was a full on the lips kiss. Elizabeth had to hold back a yell of triumph at getting the two together.

The pair pulled back, apparently for air, then came back together. Warren had an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and his other hand in her hair. Layla had wrapped both her arms around his neck and was fervently kissing him back.

Finally, they pulled apart, although with some reluctance. Warren leaned down and gave her one last kiss before opening her door and gently pushing her in. She went, and Warren came down the steps, toward Elizabeth's hiding spot. She didn't have anywhere to go, but she realized she didn't care. She stood up and faced Warren.

He was silent as he looked at her. She tried to come up with something to say, but Warren saved her from having to say anything.

"Thanks." Was all he said. Elizabeth nodded and she could feel a real friendship forming. "See you around, Shrink." Oh, great, now he had name for her. He walked away, and Elizabeth went into her house.

The phone started to ring and Elizabeth raced to grab it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Elizabeth, it's Layla, you will never guess what just happened!" Layla sounded _very_ excited.

"What?" Elizabeth said, pretending she didn't know.

"He loves me!"

"Who?"

"Warren! He said he loved me, and then he kissed me! And it was the _best_ kiss." She all but squealed into the phone. Then she proceeded to tell every detail of what happened after Elizabeth had left

"That's great, Layla! I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, anyway, I had to tell someone. Now I've got to tell Magenta."

"What about Will?" Elizabeth hated to bring Lyla down off her could, but somebody needed to. She couldn't have two boyfriends at once.

"I guess I'm going to have to break it off with him. I mean, we don't even act like we're going out. Anyway, I've got to go, let's talk to morrow, alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye."

"Bye!" Layla hung up and Elizabeth put down the phone. She hadn't factored how Will was going to react into the whole situation. She could only hope he wouldn't get really mad or upset. She'd heard about the first fight Will and Warren had ever had. This could be _much_ worse.

* * *

So, I'm thinking one more chapter, then I'm done. Thanks to anyone that's kept up this long!

Review!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Empathy

Author: Flashes09

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sky High".

A/N: Sorry it took so long, but here's the last chapter! I know it's not very long, but I kind of like it. I think it's a pretty good ending.

**Chapter 6**

Elizabeth had no clue how the next day of school would go. She knew Warren and Layla belonged together; they really loved each other. But she couldn't figure out how Will would react. Technically, Layla had cheated on Will. She must have realized this, because that morning before school, Layla came to Elizabeth's house.

"Oh my God, what was I thinking? How could I have done this to Will?" She asked. The euphoria of finding out Warren loved her and kissing him had worn off, and now Layla had other things to consider.

"Layla," Elizabeth said in her most calming voice, "Think about it. You love Will, but are you _in_ love with him?" Layla bit her lip, then slowly shook her head. "Then don't you both deserve to be happy? Will deserves to be with someone who loves him, and you deserve to be someone who loves you. And that person is Warren." Elizabeth got up and picked up her book bag. "And don't worry, I'll be there when you tell Will. Everything will be fine." Actually, Elizabeth had no idea of how Will would take the news, but if he didn't take it well, she'd just deck him one and drag him out of there before he and Warren could fight.

Hey, it wasn't the best plan, and she certainly didn't think it would work, but it was better than having no plan at all.

Of course, she was also depending on Warren being unwilling to fight with Layla there, and that the rest of the group, as well as several teachers, would be within calling distance, just in case.

As the pair made their way to the bus stop, Elizabeth saw Warren standing at the curb, presumably waiting for Layla.

When the redhead saw the pyrokinetic, she ran up to him and kissed him, as if seeing him made all her previous doubts disappear. The kiss went on for quite awhile, and Elizabeth loudly cleared her throat. The pair broke apart quickly, a little embarrassed.

"I would suggest not doing that in public until you tell Will." She said, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed their little interaction. Fortunately, there was no one else in the vicinity, and the pair looked suitably chastised. At least, Layla did. Warren was just watching Layla, as if he wanted to do more than just kiss her.

"I'm serious, Warren; the last thing we need is for word of this to get to Will from anybody other than Layla." Elizabeth saw the bus coming and hurried to finish her thought. "Listen, no matter what happens, do not engaged Will in a fight. All that will happen is that Will will hate you and that you'll both end up suspended. This needs to go smoothly."

The bus pulled up and she got on, leaving Layla and Warren to follow. Through the bus ride, they didn't do anything to suggest they were in a relationship, and Elizabeth relaxed a little. Maybe everything would be okay and no one would get hurt. Maybe.

* * *

The event she had been dreading came to pass sooner than she had expected. As the trio got off the bus and made their way toward Layla's locker, Elizabeth spotted Will standing nearby and looking for Layla. He smiled when he saw her and came up to them.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

Layla licked her lips, then responded.

"Will, can we talk?" He looked concerned, but it didn't show in his voice.

"Sure." They found an empty classroom and walked in, closing the door.

"What's wrong, Layla?" He asked, turning to face her.

"Well," Layla began, her voice low. "I realized something last night, Will." He waited patiently for her to continue. "I love you, Will, I do. But… I'm not in love with you…And I don't think it's fair for us to date if I'm not in love with you. I don't want to stop you from finding the right person. From finding someone who'll love you completely."

There was silence as Will absorbed this information.

"Layla…" He began, stopped, and then started again. "Is it Warren?" He asked. Layla nodded slowly.

Elizabeth cast her net over everyone, feeling out their emotions.

Layla was a little sad, but dedicated to breaking it off with Will. She was also madly in love with Warren, and hopeful that Will would accept her decision.

Warren, for his part, was keeping his temper tightly locked up, just as Elizabeth had asked. But he would also do anything to protect Layla, and if Will so much as put one toe out of line, Warren would fry him.

Will was having the most trouble. He was angry at being dumped for his best friend, but at the same time, he was questioning his own love for Layla. Elizabeth could tell he loved her, but at the same time, it was like Layla's love, a brotherly love more than a boyfriend love.

Elizabeth shut her eyes and grabbed on to Will's last feeling. _Please, _she thought,_ please see the reason and don't fight. Stay calm and don't get mad, please. See the reason behind this decision._

Pain seared through her head, then set in as the deep throb of a headache. She opened her eyes to find Will nodding.

"Okay, Layla, okay." He turned to Warren. "You'd better take care of her, or so help me, I'll kill you." Warren nodded, respecting Will for saying it, and expecting him to keep that promise if necessary.

Layla smiled and so did Will, then he left, leaving the classroom door open. Elizabeth let out a breathe she hadn't realized she was holding, and put a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" Layla asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but I think I just used some of my power on Will." Elizabeth responded, sitting down in a desk.

"You mean, that's not really how Stronghold felt?" Warren asked, coming up behind Layla.

"No, it was, but I just suppressed his anger a little and pulled on his reason." She turned to Layla. "Once he started questioning how he felt about you, he realized he wasn't in love with you either. I just made him focus on that." Elizabeth stood up and made for the door. "I think I'm going to go to the nurse and lie down for a bit. See you later!" She said.

She went put the door and down the hall a little. As soon as she was sure no one could see her, she pumped a fist into the air and said "Yes!"

Not only had she gotten to Layla and Warren together, she'd managed to keep Warren and Will from fighting over Layla.

Hell, she was even starting to like her powers, now that she had seen their upsides.

She made her way down the hall with a smile on her lips and swing in her step.

Maybe Sky High wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Well, that's it. I hope you guys liked it, and again, I'm sorry for the wait. Anyway, please review, because I want to know if you love it, hate it, or feel anything else for it!

Until next time,

Flashes09


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